Tacoma police on Thursday arrested a 20-year-old man in connection with the body of a teenager found Wednesday in a garbage bin near the man’s East Side home.
The Tacoma man was taken into custody after he asked his neighbors if he could use their trash can to throw away a body, police said. Police later checked the bin and found the body of the 16-year-old victim.
Investigators booked the man into the Pierce County Jail on suspicion of first-degree murder. He was expected to make his first court appearance today. The News Tribune is not naming him because he has not been charged in the death.
An autopsy conducted Thursday revealed the 16-year-old Tacoma boy died of a gunshot to the head, the Medical Examiner’s Office reported. His name was not been released because his family had not been notified.
Detectives believe the victim and suspect knew each other but were investigating the connection and what led to the deadly shooting.
Investigators say the teen was killed inside the man’s home in the 500 block of East 36th Street.
“As far as we know, no one else was home at the time,” police spokesman Mark Fulghum said.
After the man asked about disposing a body, his neighbors left the area and ran into members of the police gang unit, which was on an unrelated call a half-mile to mile away, Fulghum said.
The neighbors told the officers about the body. Members of the gang unit found the body in the garbage bin shortly before 4:30 p.m. Wednesday.
While investigating, the officers spotted the 20-year-old man coming out of the nearby triplex and took him into custody for questioning.
He gave detectives several accounts of what happened, Fulghum said. They will compare his information to the evidence at the crime scene to piece together what led to the slaying, which is the 10th in the city so far this year.
The man was charged in January with residential burglary, malicious mischief and theft after he and some friends broke into an apartment of a woman he knew, charging documents state.
They stole jewelry, electronics, DVDs and CDs, according to the documents.
The man was released on his own recognizance after his arraignment on the burglary charges. As part of that case, he was ordered to go to Western State Hospital for a mental health evaluation.
He’s scheduled to have a competency hearing in that case next month.
Stacey Mulick: 253-597-8268
stacey.mulick@thenewstribune.com
blog.thenewstribune.com/crime
JOIN THE DISCUSSION | Register here
We welcome comments. Please keep them civil, short and to the point. ALL CAPS, spam, obscene, profane, abusive and off topic comments will be deleted. Repeat offenders will be blocked. Thanks for taking part — and abiding by these simple rules. A thorough explanation of rules of conduct can be found in our Terms of Service. If you have any questions, including why your comment may not be showing immediately after you submit it, be sure to visit the commenting FAQ.